Walk This Way

I was driving up the road when in the distance I spied what looked like one of my sons.  Sure enough, as I got closer, I recognized the boy-become-man walking along the road, and I thought to myself "he walks just like his father".

I want that for my life. I want to walk like my Father.  As a mother, I have watched my children grow and change.  From those first mommy sighs of "he has your chin" to more recent cheers for diplomas, and jobs, and first apartments.  I believe God, our Father, does the same.  He cheers us on from our first wobbly steps in Him through all the seasons of life and faith.  He is looking at us, and hoping to see Himself in all that we do.  He is looking to see if we walk like our Father.

What does that mean, to walk like God? Does it mean that I try very hard to make my outward appearance God-like? Do I simply go to church, and say God-like things, and "look like" a follower of Christ? No, I think not.  My children have no clue that I see their daddy's gait when I walk behind them.  They are oblivious to it. It is just part of who they are. They could no more easily change that than they could change their size or the sound of their voices.  I believe that's what it means to walk like God. To follow Him with humility, not thinking about ourselves at all.  To be so focused on Him that we don't even realize that others see His reflection in us.  Praying that today, and each day ahead, brings you closer to that walk.

Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Acts 17: 28 'For in Him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are His offspring'

Genesis 1: 27 "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them."

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Come And Thirst No More

As it poured down rain last night, I glimpsed out the dark window to the front porch. There in the glow from the lights I could see "my poor petunias". "My poor petunias" hang under the eaves, and have only managed to continue living this long due to the generosity of others. Since the "others" were away all day, I can only assume that "my poor petunias" were dry as a bone. Inches from the water cascading off the roof yet they remained dry. It was time for me to go outside, lift the plant off of the hook, and set it out in the rain. I was reminded, once again, that there are people all around me just as thirsty. Thirsting for Living Water. They can see it around them. They can feel the fine mist from a distance, but something holds them fast. Maybe it is sin, or loss, or suffering. They are waiting for someone to lift them up and carry them to the Living Water. They're so thirsty. They're so parched and wilted, and their beautiful blooms are falling to the ground around them. Who will you carry to the water today? They're waiting.

Revelation 7:17 "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Under A Bushel Basket

I am a watcher, and I see what sparks the fire in your eyes and causes your feet to move forward.  I see your passion.  You're the one with the heart for prison ministry, spending your day off with an ex-con and helping him find work.  You are the missionary pointing to that place on the map that I have never seen. You, over there, it's the children, right? The hurting ones who don't know love at home. You put that bag of toys and new clothes on their porch last night.  I saw you, because I am a watcher.  Did you know that this is your gift? Your unique purpose?  Did you know that every time you feel that pull in your heart toward another human being, that you are being obedient?  I wonder, because I see your eyes. I see them look longingly toward the missionary, wondering why you don't have the discipline to save your money to go, too. I've seen your gaze follow the one with the heart for prison ministry, and you wince, and wonder why you don't feel the same?

I have been you.  Looking at the one with the heart for something else, and feeling inadequate because I could only be me, and I have a word for you.......STOP....... stop now.  God has designed you for a purpose.  He has called you to a vocation.  No, not necessarily your job.   It is what you have been summoned to do on this earth, and it is not over there, it is in here.  In your heart.  And while you are watching and waiting for the ability to do something else, your passion is sitting under an over-turned bowl. It is hidden under a bushel basket.  God gave you that gift and it glows with fire. I can see the light seeping out from underneath. I can feel the faint warmth.  When will you release it from it's prison? When will you take that brick of envy off the top and set it free? Because somewhere out there, while you are watching the others, there is someone watching you.  They see your passion. They need your gift.  And they wonder what is taking you so long?

Ephesians 1:15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 

Little Lesson: One Sock, Two Socks...

It's going to be a good day. I found my other wool sock, and the chocolate chip pancakes didn't burn!.....
We humans are a funny bunch, aren't we? Measuring our days based on the weight of good and bad. Seeing only the temporary. Judging life by our knee-jerk reactions to the events of the day. Would it have been a bad day if I had to wear mismatched socks? Would another baked good scraped into the trash amount to proclaiming the day a catastrophic event? I know life is hard. I know we have loss in so many ways. Death. Disease. Disappointments too big to bear. But, God is so much bigger than all of that. He's so much bigger than our circumstances, our trials, our fears, our losses. As much as we like to think life is all about us, it isn't. We are here to do whatever God has set our feet on this earth to do for Him. And we should do it, even if our socks don't match.
I'm not much of a Gaither fan, but this oldie is stuck in my head this morning: "God is bigger than all my problems, bigger than all my fears, God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see. God is bigger than all my questions, bigger than anything. God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see."

"So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

Little Lesson: Reflections (REPRINT 2003)

I was driving past the lake, admiring the reflection of the trees against the water and the sparkle of the sun on the snow.  It looked so beautiful, but at times I had to turn my head away because the sun bouncing off of the scenery blinded me.  The light was so bright that it actually hurt, and it took my focus off of the road ahead.  Fearing that I'd end up in the ditch, I was forced to search for that yellow line in front of me.

Reflections in life can put us in a ditch, too.  Not in the same way that the sun bounces off of the water droplets and blinds our eyes,  but by looking back and contemplating the images of the past.   Looking back once in a while to enjoy a pleasant memory, or maybe to draw on past experiences to prevent future mistakes, is a good thing.  Other times,  it becomes dangerous and even painful.   We're designed for forward motion.   Moving forward, whether walking, running or driving,  becomes very complicated, even injurious,  if your eyes are focused behind you.   God intends for us to keep moving ahead, with our eyes trained on that path that He has for our lives.  We are not to dwell on what's behind us, on those "reflections" of years past.  They tend to mire us in self-pity, bogged down by a lot of "what if's" and "if only's".  They hold our feet fast, and prevent us from doing what God has called us to do for fear of adding to our list of failures.  It's time to turn around.  The past is the past, and today is a new day.  

Praying that today you will see the beauty of your life as it reflects the light of Christ, and that you can find peace in the releasing of those painful reflections.  That you will be able to forget what is behind, and strain toward what is ahead, as you press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:13-14 (paraphrased)  

Little Lesson: On Angel's Wings

There's something about the death of someone young that causes us all to stop and ponder our humanity.  As much as we realize that we have a beginning and an end, we feel certain that we won't meet that end. At least, not for a long while.  Then, the years creep by, and we feel proud to have cheated death for so long.  We become overly confident, immortal.  We focus ahead, afraid to turn to either side for fear of what we might see.    At times, we are successful, but that success is quickly replaced by mourning when we catch a glimpse of the end.  Who allowed this turning to the last chapter of the book? Who gave permission for the last Act?

To the mourning family and friends, there are no words of comfort big enough to fill the empty space.  There aren't any pearls of wisdom that will take away the pain.  It is as if they have become trapped in a soap bubble, fragile and floating along with the breeze.  From high above, they see others going on with life, when at any moment they feel they will burst and fly away on the wind.

It is at times like these, that I am reminded about the compassion of our God.  I see, in my mind's eye, Him reaching down and scooping up the hurting, drawing them close, ever so gently.  He is so cautious with how He carries them, that they hardly know He's there. While they cry, their tears pool in His hands.  While they grieve, He folds His hands closed and shelters them, and when they howl from the very depths of their being, He carries them and speaks quiet words of encouragement that only their hearts can hear.

"...those who mourn are lifted to safety"  Job 5:11

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."  Matthew 5:4

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-4:  " There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance."

Little Lesson: Living in the Dead Zone

You know that big 4G Cell Network they are always bragging about on TV? We don't belong to that. We live in what's known as the "patchy network" where we get maybe 1/4 of the 4Gs.  We cope, and then we pray that the car won't break down in any of the dead zones.  I remember when we didn't have to worry about any zones at all. We weren't allowed to leave the house without a quarter for the pay phone, "just in case". Or if there was no pay phone, the second option was to knock on the closest door. BUT, for safety's sake you never went inside in case psychokillers lived there. Then, cell phones came along, and phone booths went away, and the dead zone was born.

Since the "era of the teen with a phone" has begun, daughter has informed me that at school there are only two places where you can find a signal. One is on top of the teacher's desk (and I wonder who figured that one out), and the other is at the base of the cross in the chapel.  So, if your battery is getting weak searching for a signal, you go to the cross.

Isn't that the truth in life, too? There are so many times we walk through that are dark and silent, when our battery gets drained trying to find that connection that seems to have disappeared.  We know what we need is out there somewhere, but we can't seem to locate it.  It's not until we reach the foot of the cross that we realize that that is where we will find a steady, unfailing connection.

 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


"I Go To the Rock" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB6-BMuxy0w